By Asma Mohamud - Reporter
Mogadishu (Dawan Africa) – Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre on Wednesday accused the federal government of attacking a meeting he was holding with the Ugaas of the Murusade clan and other traditional elders ahead of a planned opposition protest in Mogadishu.
Khayre said the incident occurred while participants were preparing for a peaceful demonstration scheduled for Thursday.
“We were in a meeting with the Ugaas of the Murusade clan and traditional elders when we were attacked by forces led by the president,” Khayre said in a statement.
Preliminary reports indicated gunfire in parts of Mogadishu, particularly around Villa Somalia, although authorities had not officially confirmed casualties at the time of publication.
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Khayre offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, but did not provide casualty figures.
He blamed the federal government for the incident and held President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud politically responsible for any resulting casualties.
The allegations could not be independently verified. The Federal Government of Somalia had not publicly responded to Khayre’s claims at the time of publication.